Tuesday, August 3, 2010

“Oneness with the society, fundamental to Tata Group”

The defining feature of the Tata Group has been the oneness with society that is fundamental to the philosophy of the organisation, according to speakers at the launch of a book that seeks to unearth the unique ethos of the company.

TATA: The Evolution of a Corporate Brand“ (Penguin Books) authored by management expert and business historian Morgen Witzel traces the origin and growth of a company that has now turned a global brand through a series of high-profile acquisitions straddling the automotive, steel and chemicals sectors.

The book, according to its author, seeks to discover what the Tata brand is all about, the values it upholds and how people perceive the brand in India and abroad. It also explores the relationship between the Tata group and the Indian people in the context of social contributions to employees and society as a whole.

Much more than calculating financial metrics, as many brand gurus are wont to, the success of Brand Tata has more to do with social values and the oneness with society that is the hallmark of its business, B. Muthuraman, Vice Chairman, Tata Steel Ltd. said. There are mainly three types of companies -the majority that believe that conducting business is the central idea, a smaller number of companies that go beyond business to engage in Corporate Social Responsibility and philanthropy and a select few like the Tata Group that achieve a symmetry between business and oneness with society, Mr. Muthuraman said.

“Putting society as a fundamental and integral part of their business is one of the biggest values that the Tatas have brought to the world,” he said.